Reservation Road

Terry George displayed a gift for handling difficult subject matter with Hotel Rwanda. That was a big story with big implications and Reservation Road is a more subtle thing. Again, with the difficult subject matter, but this time George endeavors to show us both sides of the story - walking a careful line and reserving judgement for the viewer. It is both deft and heartbreaking, and aided (as was Hotel) by some incredibly talented actors.

The story starts with two families wrapping up their weekends. Ethan and Grace (Joaquin Phoenix and Jennifer Connelly) are driving the kids home from a lakeside concert. Dwight (Mark Ruffalo) is racing home late from taking his son to the ball game - an extra innings, angry ex-wife sort of desperation about him. Dwight bolts in fear from the accident that leaves Ethan's son dead on the side of the road. What follows is a sort of descent into hell - Ethan from grief and Dwight from guilt.

This could have been another overdone vigilante film, but it isn't. Ruffalo brings such human vulnerability to Dwight, showing a depth of pain and desperation that easily matches the anger and frustration of Phoenix. The two men show a range of emotion often alien from films with men as protagonists, and the women of the film get to demonstrate some rarely seen female rationality. The ending is just about pitch perfect. Worth the watch... see another review here.